Actors: Calvin Reeder, Lane Hughes, Adam Wingard
Directors: Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
Release Date: December 4, 2012
Run Time: 116 minutes
Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3.5 out of 5 stars
When it comes to anthology horror, “Creepshow” still holds my favorite chip. “V/H/S” though is easily one of my favorite horror films of 2012. It is unique and takes the POV genre to a new level. Plus, personally having grown up on VHS and 80’s horror, this film completely speaks to me. It is weird to think that my own daughter, who is only 6 months will not know what a VHS tape is. I don’t think these are terrifying but definitely get some good jumps and some “WTF” moments. If you are looking for some kick ass horror from some very talent young directors, do not miss “V/H/S”.
The film contains six different segments “Tape 56”, which also is the main arc; “Amateur Night”, “Second Honeymoon”, my favorite of them all; “Tuesday the 17th”, “The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger” and “10/31/98”. They are all tied together yet completely different. Some of them are harder to stomach than others in terms of the brutal level. Some are better than the others but overall they work well as a team to kick some major ass!
This film packs some great directoral talent including Adam Wingard (“The ABC’s of Death”, “A Horrible Way to Die”), David Bruckner (“The Signal”), Ti West (“The Innkeepers”, “The House of the Devil”), Glenn McQuaid (“I Sell the Dead”), Joe Swanberg (“The Zone”) and Radio Silence. There is so much love for the horror genre here that this film is almost guaranteed not the fail. These guys love their 80’s horror and really deliver some great unique approach to the anthology POV horror genre.
Official Premise: V/H/S is a POV, found-footage horror film from the perspective of America’s top genre filmmakers. In V/H/S, a group of misfits are hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house in the countryside and acquire a rare tape. Upon searching the house, the guys are confronted with a dead body, a hub of old televisions and an endless supply of cryptic footage, each video stranger and more inexplicable than the last…
Here is the thing about this film, it is not meant to look perfect. It is very low-budget and made to look like it was on VHS tape. So the 1080p looks perfect for what is expected. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks works well with the dialogue and the jumps. There are some decent special features included here including cast and crew commentary tracks. There is also an alternate ending for “10/31/98”. There is some deleted scenes from “Tuesday the 17th” and “Amateur Night”. There are interviews with cast and crew including web cam interviews. The “Conceptual Design Gallery” for the character of Lily is worth checking out. “AXS TV: A Look at V/H/S” is a behind-the-scenes looks at the production of the segments. Lastly there are trailers included.